Onan Generator Service

[Dan Murphy]

Ok so I read the manual and watched all the You-tube videos on servicing the generator and I was getting ready to order the parts when I crawled under the generator slide to study the situation first.

 I found the little door that opens to access the oil filter but there is a steel bracing bar running across the bottom of the slide right smack in the middle of the opening. I think I may be able to open the access panel and wiggle it out of the way but I was not to keen on starting this job if I could not replace the panel or reach the filters in the opening. It appears that this brace is in the way of gaining access to the oil filter since it is a small opening to begin with.

Have any of you found this brace in the way and how can you deal with it?? Is there a way to extend the slide farther out??

[David T. Richelderfer]

Great design, eh?  Is the brace held in place by bolts or a weld?

Engineers should be required to perform maintenance in the areas near their designs.

[Joe Rhea]

Dan:
I think if you rolled the gen set out a little bit it will clear the brace your are referring to. If it' s like mine the brace is stationary.I have to roll mine out about a foot or so. All so I would suggest you get a pair of hose clamping pliers to clamp the fuel supply line off at the entrance to the gen set. The fuel will continue to siphon when you remove the fuel filter.
 
Good luck

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks Joe! Sometimes I am so stupid! I will go out and look and Ill bet you are correct. All I need to do is stop the generator slide where the brace does not block the opening. I was thinking it needed to come out farther--but backing it up should work also.
I emailed an Cummins Onan Coachcare shop to see what they would charge to change all filters and change coolant and here is what they said:

Good morning it would be roughly around $400 plus tax and shop supplies. I would recommend setting valves, and checking belt on it, it should be done at 1000 hrs. you would have price of valve cover gasket that is around $20 plus around an hr at $135 to set them. So should be around $600 plus tax and shop supplies, as long as the gen does not have to come out to set valves.

The fuel,oil, and air filters were changed at 600hrs and I now have 927hrs. I think Ill change the oil and oil filter myself and het a total service with the valves checked as he suggested maybe next year or a couple hundred more hours.I have been very careful about purchasing fuel and I exercise the generator once a month and it runs like a top!

What do you think??  Anybody else have a suggestion?? Im always looking for help!

[Steve Huber]

Dan,
Check your Onan owner's manual for specific change intervals. My 10KW gets LOF and spark arrester cleaning every 250 hrs, air and fuel filters every 500 hrs, and belt chg and coolant hose check every 1500. All of these items should be do-able by owner if unit is on a slide.
Steve

[LaMonte Monnell]

I just had my coach in the Cummins shop this past January for the 1000 hour service. Mine is on the driver side aft compartment so it had to come out for the service. While disassembled the tech found a fifty cent wad of magnetic pieces from the stator that had came loose. Of course the armature windings were torn up from the loose magnet parts. A new armature and rotor assembly and the 1000 hour service ended up a total of $2800. I was staying in their rear parking area with electricity for 2 1/2 days while they got the parts and got it done. This was at Cummins Ocala,Fl. shop. Just some info for you...this was on a Onan 7500QD that was still running fine when I took it in for the service.